Oral care kit

ABSTRACT

An oral care kit includes a plurality of oral care implements, each comprising a handle having a head at one end of the handle. The heads have at least one cleaning element projecting outwards from the heads. At least one dispenser is included, separate from the oral care implements. The dispenser contains an amount of the oral care material. At least one package has a first chamber shaped to contain the plurality of oral care implements and a second chamber shaped to contain the dispenser. The second chamber is separate from the first chamber by a separable connector.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to toothbrushes, and, moreparticularly, to a kit having a toothbrush and an oral care dispensercontaining an oral care material.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The advantages of good dental hygiene are well known. Often, however,toothbrushes are forgotten when one is traveling or away from home.Hotels, health care facilities, nursing homes, hospitals, daycarefacilities, schools, airlines, etc. can use single use disposable orlimited multiple use toothbrushes that may be economically supplied toand discarded by individuals without a toothbrush and/or a water supply.Such toothbrushes could be used in vending machines, or distributed inlarge quantities for simple, portable use from anywhere.

Various types of disposable, limited use, or portable toothbrushes areknown in the art. An improved portable toothbrush is desired.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In some embodiments, an oral care kit comprises at least one oral careimplement comprising a handle having a head at one end of the handle.The head has at least one cleaning element projecting outwards from thehead. At least one dispenser is separate from the oral care implement.The dispenser contains an amount of the oral care material. A packageincludes the at least one oral care implement and the at least onedispenser. The package has at least two sections joined to each other.Each section has a separate sealed chamber. The package has at least oneseparable connector separating one of the chambers from the other of thechambers.

In some embodiments, an oral care kit comprises a plurality of oral careimplements, each comprising a handle having a head at one end of thehandle. The head has at least one cleaning element projecting outwardsfrom the head, and a recess shaped to hold an oral care material. Atleast one dispenser is provided separate from the oral care implements.The dispenser contains an amount of the oral care material. Thedispenser has an orifice for dispensing the oral care material. Theorifice has a width that is less than or equal to a width of the recess.A package contains the plurality of oral care implements and the atleast one dispenser.

In some embodiments, an oral care kit comprises a sachet having a ringshaped reservoir for an oral care material configured around a centralopening. The sachet has a notch, slit or perforation for forming a tearin a portion of the reservoir so as to form a dispensing nozzle. An oralcare implement is sized so that a portion of the oral care implementfits through the central opening The oral care implement is configuredto be used to tear the portion of the reservoir along the notch, slit orperforation.

Further areas of applicability of the present invention will becomeapparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It shouldbe understood that the detailed description and specific examples, whileindicating the preferred embodiment of the invention, are intended forpurposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope ofthe invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will become more fully understood from thedetailed description and the accompanying drawings which are given byway of illustration only, and thus are not limitative of the presentinvention, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of an oral care toothbrush with atoothpick connected thereto;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the toothbrush shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a rear elevational view of the toothbrush shown in FIGS. 1-2;

FIG. 4 is a fragmental, cross-sectional view of the head of an oral caretoothbrush;

FIGS. 5-6 are side elevational views of other forms of heads for an oralcare toothbrush;

FIG. 7 is a fragmental side elevational view showing a head detachablymounted to the handle for an alternate embodiment;

FIG. 8 is a fragmental cross-sectional elevational view showing avibrating toothbrush head for an alternate embodiment;

FIGS. 9-10 are fragmental front elevational views partly broken away ofportions of a handle for an alternate embodiment;

FIG. 11 is a front elevational view showing toothbrushes in a packagedor display condition;

FIG. 12 is a front view of an oral care kit including a plurality oforal care implements.

FIG. 13 is a side edge view of the oral care kit of FIG. 12.

FIG. 14 shows one of the oral care instruments and the dispenser of FIG.12 in use.

FIGS. 14A and 14B show variations of the nozzle configuration.

FIG. 14C shows a head having an absorbent insert.

FIG. 15 is a front view of the blister pack of FIG. 12, unfolded.

FIG. 16 is an isometric view showing the blister pack of FIG. 15 duringfolding.

FIG. 17 is a plan view of a ring shaped sachet for dispensing oral carematerial.

FIG. 18A is a side elevation view of a blister package containing atoothbrush with the sachet of FIG. 17 mounted thereon.

FIG. 18B shows the step of opening the sachet of FIG. 18A.

FIG. 19A is a plan view of an alternative blister pack design.

FIG. 19B is an enlarged detail of the sachet of FIG. 19A.

FIG. 20A is a plan view of a variation of the blister pack of FIG. 19A.

FIG. 20B is an enlarged detail of the sachet of FIG. 20A.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The following description of the preferred embodiment(s) is merelyexemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the invention,its application, or uses.

The following detailed description refers to the accompanying drawings.The same reference numbers in different figures identify the same orsimilar elements.

FIGS. 1-4 illustrate an oral care toothbrush 10 that includes a head 12and a handle 14. The head 12 may be a refill head and thus be removablyconnected to the handle 14, or the head 12 may be permanently connectedto the handle 14.

The majority of the handle 14 and a portion of the head 12 may be moldedfrom a variety of rigid materials, including plastics, resins, etc.,such as, for example, polypropylene. At an end portion of the handle 14,opposite the end to which the head 12 is attached, there is attached anaccessory 16. The accessory 16 may be a toothpick in some embodiment ofthe invention. The toothpick 16 is formed of a resilient and softthermoplastic elastomer. The accessory 16 may be a refill and thus beremovably connected to the handle 14. The accessory 16 may bepermanently connected to the handle 14. The accessory 16 provides amechanism for spot cleaning between teeth. Forming the accessory 16 of asoft elastomer provides more comfortable interproximal cleaning betweenteeth. The accessory 16 could, however, be made of a stiff rigidmaterial similar to the main portion of handle 14, or it could simply bea rubber or elastomeric pick adhered or otherwise mounted to the end ofhandle 14.

Portions 18 of the handle 14 may also be formed of a resilient and softthermoplastic elastomer. The thermoplastic elastomer which forms theaccessory 16 and the handle portion 18 may be a thermoplastic vulcanate(TPV) consisting of a mixture of polypropylene and EPDM (ethylenepropylene diene monomers) which is available as SANTOPRENE (brand),described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,393,796, or VYRAM (brand), another TPVconsisting of a mixture of polypropylene and natural rubber. BothSANTOPRENE and VYRAM (brands) are elastomers marketed by AdvancedElastomer Systems. Other suitable elastomers include KRATON, a brand ofstyrene block copolymer (SBC) marketed by Shell, and DYNAFLEX G 2706(brand), a thermoplastic elastomer marketed by GLS Corporation and whichis made with KRATON (brand) polymer.

The handle 14 may further include dimples, bumps, or ridges protrudingfrom portions of its surface, and providing a decorative appearance tothe handle 14 and enhanced gripping of the handle 14 during use of thetoothbrush 10. The dimples may be formed from the same material as softelastomer portions 18 of the handle 14 or from the same material as themajority of the handle 14 (e.g., a rigid material such aspolypropylene). All or part of the handle 14 could be made of anysuitable material, such as plastic, wood, metal or various naturalmaterials which are biodegradable. Preferably the handle 14 is made of agenerally flat or oval shape rather than cylindrical in its grippingportion which would be between the spaced elastomer portions 18 tofacilitate the gripping of the handle.

As shown in FIG. 4 another portion of the head 12, defining a bristle orcleaning element block 22 of head 12, may also be formed of a resilientand soft thermoplastic elastomer, such as the thermoplastic elastomerused to form the handle portions 18. The cleaning block 22 mayoptionally include one or more depressions 24 provided in a surfacethereof with an opening 30 therein. The cleaning block 22 furtherincludes a multitude of cleaning elements which could be conventionalfilament, preferably nylon, or elastomeric bristles or fingers 26extending integrally outwardly from the outer surface of the head 12. Inthe illustrated embodiment as best shown in FIG. 4, all of the cleaningelements 26 extend outwardly from the outer surface of the cleaningblock 22 the same distance so as to create a generally flat surface.Alternatively, however, some elements 26 may be shorter or longer thanother elements 26. The variable length of the cleaning elements 26 isillustrated by the dotted out tips 26 a in FIG. 14, with only bodyportions 26 b of the cleaning elements 26 shown in solid lines forpurposes of clarity and to focus on the variable nature of suchelements.

The term “cleaning elements” as used herein is intended to includemassage elements arranged in a circular, elliptical, or ovalcross-section shape or any type of desired shape, including straightportions or sinusoidal portions. It is to be understood that thespecific illustration of the cleaning elements is merely for exemplarypurposes. The features herein can, however, be practiced with variouscombinations of the same or different configurations (such as stapled orin-mold tufting (IMT) bristle technology and/or with the same ordifferent bristle materials (such as nylon bristles, spiral bristles,rubber bristles, etc.). Similarly, while FIGS. 1-4 illustrate thecleaning elements 26 to be generally perpendicular to the outer surfaceof head 12, some or all of the cleaning elements 26 may be angled atvarious angles with respect to the outer surface of the head 12. It isthereby possible to select the combination of configurations, materialsand orientations to achieve specific intended results, such as enhancedcleaning, tooth polishing, breath freshening, tooth whitening and/ormassaging of the gums.

In some embodiments, the cleaning elements 26 may be in the form ofbristles made from conventional materials, such as nylon, as well asfrom a combination of materials so as to provide the proper stiffness inan economical manner. For example, the cleaning elements 26 could bemade of a flexible resilient material, such as TPE and a lesserexpensive material such as LLDPE (linear low density polyethylene) orEVA (ethylene vinyl acetate) or a TPE. The cleaning elements 26 could bemade of a blend of TPE and either LLDPE, EVA, or polypropylene.Preferably, the two materials are combined to provide a stiffness ofless than 600 MPa. The blend of materials would give the properties ofconventional nylon bristles, while offering reduced costs. For example,there would be lower manufacturing costs by injection molding instead ofconventional bristle tufting. Alternatively the resilient material couldbe a single material, such as hard TPE (i.e. Shore A 80 hardness),straight LLDPE or straight EVA.

The cleaning elements 26 may be of any desired shape. For example, thecleaning elements 26 could be of cylindrical shape having a uniformdiameter throughout their length. Alternatively, the cleaning elements26 could taper from the root of each cleaning element where it extendsfrom the head 22 to its outer cleaning end. In some embodiments, toprovide a small lightweight toothbrush, the dimensions of the variouscomponents of the toothbrush 10 are preferably small. Thus, for example,each cleaning element 26 may extend outwardly from the outer surface ofthe cleaning block 12 a distance no greater than 10 mm and preferably nogreater than 8 mm and most preferably no greater than 6 mm. Wheretapered cleaning elements are used the root diameter should be nogreater than 1.5 mm, preferably no greater than 1 mm, most preferably nogreater than 0.7 mm or no greater than 0.5 mm or no greater than 0.3 mm.The diameter could then decrease in size to no greater than 0.2 mm at adistance of no greater than 6 mm from the base of the cleaning element.The taper relationship of diameter at a distance location above the rootdiameter could be a range of no greater than 1 mm at a distance of nogreater than 10 mm, preferably no greater than 0.6 mm at a distance ofno greater than 8 mm, most preferably no greater than 0.2 mm at adistance of no greater than 6 mm. Preferably, the length of the entiretoothbrush 10 is no greater than 5 inches, preferably no greater than 4inches, and more preferably no greater than 3.75 or 3 or 2.50 inches,and may be in the range of 2 to 4 inches.

In some embodiments, the cleaning elements 26 may vary in diameter attheir proximate ends, so that the cleaning elements 26 in differentareas of the field have different thicknesses and rigidity or axialstiffness as measured from the longitudinal axis of the bristle. In sucha construction, inner or central region bristles 26 b are stiffer thanthe outer or peripheral region cleaning elements 26 c. The cleaningelements 26 of the carrier 80 may taper towards their distal ends.

The variable stiffness arrangement of the field of cleaning elements 26forms a structure for incremental radial flow control of oral caresolution/material during a brushing operation for efficient cleaning.This feature is particularly useful for low viscosity oral caresolutions. Nevertheless, oral care solutions of higher viscosity can beused in the toothbrush 10. The cleaning elements 26 are independentlyflexible. In this regard, during a brushing operation, the free ends(e.g., tip) of the stiffer cleaning elements 26 b bend relative totheir, respective vertical axis less than the outer cleaning elements 26c (e.g., bristles near the periphery). Hence, a portion of thedentifrice stays longer in the central region of the brush head byreduced dynamic bending or action of the stiffer bristles. The sweepingor oscillating motion transfers a portion of the retained liquid to theouter region of the cleaning elements. While the outer cleaning elements26 c are less stiff, the dynamic bending relative to their vertical axisadditionally causes the outer bristles to receive a portion of thedentifrice from the central region of the cleaning elements. In thisconstruction, effective cleaning of the tissue surfaces in the mouth maybe obtained though the combined use of the variable stiffness bristlefield mechanically scrubbing the tissue surfaces and the beneficialeffects of applying the oral care material from the dispenser in theoral cavity. In this way, the bristles field provides a limited andcontrolled flow of the dentifrice or other oral care material to theouter bristles and maintains sufficient flexibility to provide greateruser comfort and improved cleaning of the oral tissues.

The head 12 may be angled at a 10° angle with respect to the handle 14,representing a less-angled head than that shown in FIGS. 1-4. An angleranging from 8° to 12° may assist in improving a user's brushingtechnique. The block 22 may be made of the same materials as some or allof the bristles 26 and portions of the handle 14. Alternatively, thehandle 14 may be made of the same material as the block 22 and/orbristles 26.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 4 the cleaning elements 26 define acleaning field in the head 22. The cleaning elements 26 preferablyextend outwardly from the cleaning block 22, as shown in FIG. 4. Thefeatures herein, however, can also be practiced where the cleaningelements extend either a greater distance or a lesser distance than asshown in FIG. 14.

As stated above, the cleaning block 22 may include one or more optionaldepressions 24 which are designed to receive and retain an oral carematerial therein. The one or more depressions 24 can be varied in sizeso as to accommodate varying quantities of toothpowder, a toothpaste ortooth cleaning gel dentifrice or other oral care material, for deliveryto the dentiture as the elements 26 extending from the block 22 areapplied thereto, during use, such that the oral care material enhancesthe cleaning of the dentiture by the cleaning elements. In someembodiments, the toothbrush 10 is manufactured containing a packedtoothpowder, toothpaste or tooth cleaning gel dentifrice and usedrepeatedly by the user refilling the dispenser with toothpowder,toothpaste or tooth cleaning gel dentifrice. In other embodiments, thetoothbrush 10 is provided as part of a kit with a separately packagedoral care material, which is manually placed by the user onto thecleaning element 26 or in the depression 24, if present.

In some embodiments, the depression is in the form of a cushioned socket28. Cushioning socket 28 opening 30, and the material making up bristleblock 22 provide a cushioning effect.

The user applies a oral care material onto the bristles 26 of thetoothbrush head 12. The oral care material may be a toothpaste, a gel, amouthwash, a powder, or similar dentifrice or oral hygiene product, or acombination of the same. The materials making up the oral care materialpreferably are consumable by the user of the toothbrush 10, eliminatingthe need for water, a sink, or a waste receptacle to expectorate theoral care material.

The oral care material may include an active agent. Non-limitingexamples of active agents which can be used include antibacterialagents, whitening agents, anti-sensitivity agents, anti-inflammatoryagents, anti-attachment agents, plaque indicator agents, flavorants,sensates, breath freshening agents, gum health agents and colorants.Examples of these agents include metal ion agents (e.g., stannous ionagents, copper ion agents, zinc ion agents, silver ion agents)triclosan; triclosan monophosphate, chlorhexidine, alexidine,hexetidine, sanguinarine, benzalkonium chloride, salicylanilide,domiphen bromide, cetylpyridinium chloride, tetradecylpyridiniumchloride, N-tetradecyl-4-ethylpyridinium chloride (TDEPC), octenidine,delmopinol, octapinol, nisin, essential oils, furanones, bacteriocins,flavans, flavinoids, folic acids, vitamins, minerals, hydrogen peroxide,urea peroxide, sodium percarbonate, PVP-H2O2, polymer-bound perxoxides,potassium nitrates, occluding agents, bioactive glass, arginine salts,arginine bicarbonate, bacalin, polyphenols, ethyl pyruvate,guanidinoethyl disulfide, tartar control agents, anti-stain ingredients,phosphate salts, polyvinylphosphonic acid, PVM/MA copolymers; enzymes,glucose oxidase, papain, ficin, ethyl lauroyl arginate, menthol,carvone, and anethole, various flavoring aldehydes, esters, andalcohols, spearmint oils, peppermint oil, wintergreen oil, sassafrasoil, clove oil, sage oil, eucalyptus oil, marjoram oil, cinnamon oil,lemon oil, lime oil, grapefruit oil, and/or orange oil.

The active agent may be compatible with toothpaste, or may be unstableand/or reactive with typical toothpaste ingredients. The active agentalso may be a tooth cleaning agent to boost the overall efficacy ofbrushing.

The active agent can be provided in any suitable vehicle, such as inaqueous solution or in the form of gel, paste or powder. The vehicle canhave a variety of different visual aesthetics including clear solutionor gel or opaque solution or gel. Non-limiting examples of vehiclesinclude water, monohydric alcohols such as ethanol, poly(ethyleneoxides) such as polyethylene glycols such as PEG 2M, 5M, 7M, 14M, 23M,45M, and 90M available from Union Carbide, carboxymethylene polymerssuch as Carbopol® 934 and 974 available from B.F. Goodrich, andcombinations thereof. The selection of a suitable vehicle will beapparent to persons skilled in the art depending on such factors as theproperties of the active agent and the desired properties of the medium,such as viscosity.

In use, the user applies the oral care material over cleaning elements26. The user then may brush their teeth with toothbrush 10. The user mayalso use the accessory 16 to clean between teeth, either before or afterbrushing. After the user has used the toothbrush 10, one may, but notnecessarily, then easily and economically dispose of the toothbrush 10.

In some embodiments, the entire structure of the toothbrush 10,including the head 12, the handle 14, and the accessory 16, may bemolded as one integral structure, using a conventional multi-componentinjection molding operation typically used in the manufacture oftoothbrushes. This enables the toothbrush 10 to be economically andquickly manufactured. Although the toothbrush 10 may have a variety ofsizes and dimensions, it is preferred that the toothbrush 10 have asmall profile, with the head 12 being small enough to cover one tooth ata time and the handle 14 being thinner than conventional, everydaytoothbrush handles. The toothbrush 10 is thus readily portable or spacesaving.

The toothbrush 10 may provide many benefits, including the cosmeticbenefits of brushing one's teeth in a form that can be used when one isaway from home, and away from a water supply. The cosmetic benefitsachieved by the toothbrush 10 include the cleaning of debris betweenteeth with the accessory 16, broad tooth surface cleaning with thecleaning elements 26 and the oral care solution, and breath fresheningwith the oral care solution.

In addition to the cosmetic benefits, the toothbrush 10 may also provideeconomic benefits in the form of an inexpensive toothbrush that is bothquickly and economically manufactured. Toothbrush 10 also provides amechanism for maintaining oral health, without the need for toothpaste,water, mouth wash, and containers to hold the same. Thus, toothbrush 10is also very convenient to use.

Furthermore, the toothbrush 10 provides at least one benefit ofpreventing the spread of waterborne diseases. For example, thetoothbrush 10 eliminates the conventional practice of using local waterto mix with toothpaste. This feature is useful for military applicationswhere there is a limited source of potable water or a need to conservewater or maintain the oral health of troops, such as in desert fightingenvironments. In another situation, the toothbrush is useful in outdoorcamping environments to prevent disease or sickness from waterbornebacteria.

Although FIGS. 1-4 illustrate a manually-operated, disposabletoothbrush, the features herein may also be practiced where the headincludes one or more power or electrically operated movable sectionscarrying cleaning elements. Such movable section may oscillate in arotational manner or may oscillate linearly in a longitudinal directionwith respect to the longitudinal axis of the head or may oscillatelinearly in a lateral or transverse direction with respect to thelongitudinal axis of the head. The movable section may oscillate in andout in a direction toward and away from the outer surface of the head.The movable section may rock back and forth with respect to the outersurface of the head. The movable section may rotate continuously in thesame direction, rather than oscillate. Any suitable drive mechanism maybe used for imparting the desired motion to the movable section. Whereplural movable sections are used, all of the movable sections may havethe same type and direction of movement, or combinations of differentmovements may be used.

Since the toothbrush 10 is intended to be both small and lightweight, itis preferred that the toothbrush 10 weigh no more than 3 grams, but thisis an option, and the toothbrush 10 may have a greater weight. The smallsize is such that it can be held completely within the palm of an adultuser. The head 12 is of a size that it would correspond to the size ofan individual tooth or an individual tooth and the interproximal areas.The head 12 could be made of any suitable shape and is preferably ofcircular, elliptical, oval or tri-lobal shape having a maximum lateraldimension or diameter of no greater than 13 mm, preferably no greaterthan 12 mm and most preferably no greater than 11 mm. Where the head 12is of non-circular shape its preferred maximum lateral dimension is 14mm.

As shown in FIG. 2, the head 12 may be at an angle between 0° and 90° tothe longitudinal axis of handle 14. The preferred angle is from 20° to70° and more preferably from 30° to 60°. The cleaning elements could beperpendicular to the outer surface of head 12 or could also be at anangle to the outer surface such as in the range of 60° to 90° or in therange of 75° to 90°.

In one embodiment, the cleaning elements could be hollow, such as hollowbristles, which are capable of absorbing a medicament by capillaryaction. Such a feature would be particularly useful for children where amedicament or some form of flavor could be dispensed from the hollowcleaning elements. It is also possible to leach antibacterial materialfrom the cleaning elements. In one embodiment where the cleaningelements are used to dispense oral care materials the cleaning elementsthemselves may be considered as the oral care dispensers withoutrequiring additional dispensers.

Where specific parameters and characteristics have been given forcleaning elements, the features herein could be practiced where othercleaning elements do not include those parameters and characteristics.

FIGS. 5-6 show other variations wherein the cleaning elements are in theform of a single mass having an irregular outer surface. As shown inFIG. 5 the mass 34 is similar to that of “steel wool” as used inhousehold cleaning or could be part of VELCRO, formations, such as hooksor loops.

FIG. 6 shows a variation where the cleaning element 36 is of a singlemass of sponge, foam or cotton which could be used as a swab for oralcare material. In some embodiments, the cleaning element 36 provides anabsorbent receptacle for the oral care material. The outer surface ofthe swab could be generally planar or could have surface irregularities.In such embodiments, the cleaning element 36 could be impregnated withthe oral care material or could be dipped into oral care material so asto absorb the material and thereby the cleaning element 36 would alsofunction as the oral care dispenser. Such swab type cleaning elementsare gentle for children, particularly infants.

In some embodiments, the element 36 is a single piece of melamine foam,a foam-like material comprising a formaldehyde-melamine-sodium bisulfitecopolymer. Melamine foam is available from BASF of Ludwigshafen amRhein, Germany, and is also sold under the name “MR. CLEAN MAGICERASER”™ by Procter & Gamble. Melamine foam is an effective abrasivecleaner. The open cell foam is microporous and works like extremely finesandpaper, getting into tiny grooves and pits in the tooth surface beingcleaned. On a larger scale the material feels soft.

The features herein could be practiced where the various components ofthe toothbrush 10 are segmented for manufacturing and assembly purposes.Such segmented components could also be detachably connected together soas to permit the interchangeability of the components thereby providingthe possibility for the substitution of different components in thecombination. Thus, the head 12 could be detachably connected to thehandle 14. FIG. 7, for example, illustrates head 12 to be detachablymounted to handle 14 by a snap fitting 38 which may be of any suitableconstruction as is known to those of ordinary skill in the art.

The concept of a detachable interconnection may also be used wherein theoral care accessory 16, such as the toothpick, is detachably mounted tothe handle 14. Thus, as later described with respect to FIGS. 12 and 13the toothbrush and its various components could be packaged wherein thesame package includes a plurality of toothbrushes and/or a plurality ofdifferent components such as heads, dispensers or accessories.

FIG. 8 shows a further embodiment wherein a piezoelectric crystal 40 isprovided in the handle 14 at the junction with head 12 so as to causethe head 12 to vibrate during use. Alternatively the head 12 could bemounted to a rotatable shaft extending from the handle and having aneccentric weight on the shaft to cause the head to vibrate.

Although FIGS. 1-3 illustrate an oral care accessory 16 in the form of atoothpick, other types of accessories 42 could be used as schematicallyshown in FIG. 9. As illustrated therein such accessory 42 would bemounted to the end of the handle 14 similar to the mounting of thetoothpick. Such mounting could be detachable or of a permanent nature.Examples of such oral care accessories 16/42 include tongue cleaners,floss holders or an interproximal brush. Similarly, the accessory 16/42could be of a swab or foam type similar to the cleaning element 36 ofFIG. 6 or could be of the single mass of roughened material such as thecleaning element 34 of FIG. 5.

FIG. 10 shows another variation wherein the toothbrush is particularlyadapted for use by children. Such use is enhanced by providing anysuitable ornament or caricature 44 on the toothbrush, such as on thehandle or on any other suitable location including the backside of thehead. Such ornament 44 could be detachably mounted so that it could bekept by the child after the rest of the toothbrush is thrown away. Otherembodiments particularly suitable for use by children include theoptional capabilities of dispensing various types of oral care materialsincluding materials having special flavors, tooth numbing materials,anti-sensitive materials or various medicaments.

The toothbrush may also be made of various colors for different parts ofthe toothbrush. For example, soft elastomer 18 may be made of adifferent, such as a contrasting, color with respect to the remainder ofhandle 14 which would be made of a rigid material. Similarly, the head12 could be made of a different color than the rigid portion of thehandle and/or the soft elastomer portions 18. The cleaning elements 26could be made of distinct colors. Along the same lines the accessory16/42 such as the toothpick or other accessory could be made of adistinct color. These various colors could be contrasting orcomplementary with each other. Thus, for example, the various colorscould differ only slightly in color or shade.

Any suitable oral care products could be dispensed from the dispenser.Such products include, but are not limited to toothpaste, tooth powderor could be a small vial of mouthwash having a gel, a powder or aliquid. Such a dispenser could be separately included in a packagecontaining the toothbrush 10. The materials could be flavored and couldbe provided in sets of different flavors and/or differentcharacteristics such as medicaments, numbing materials, etc.

Any suitable methods may be used for forming the toothbrush 10 and itsvarious components. For example, multi-component injection molding couldbe used to integrally couple various components such as the cleaningelements 26 and the head 12 and/or the handle 14. This could be done inan automated or multiple step process. The handle 14 could be rotocastblow molded to form a hollow squeeze handle.

FIG. 11 illustrates a variation wherein the package 54 includes one ormore toothbrushes 10 and a plurality of other components 56 which couldbe accessories or dispensers or other components. The components couldinclude a small vial of mouthwash. Preferably, the package 50 or 54would be hermetically sealed to assure freshness.

As is apparent the features herein provide an oral care toothbrush thatmay be small in size and portable and can be conveniently used away fromhome under circumstances, such as travel, where water is not readilyavailable.

The features herein could be practiced with a combination of variouscomponents that do not involve “toothbrush” usage. In that sense thesefeatures may be used in any oral care device or the like, rather thanstrictly being a toothbrush. Where used as a toothbrush or the like, thefeatures herein may have the advantages, because of the size andconfiguration, to allow discreet hygienic use, such as no fingers in themouth, adapting it to be readily used in public areas.

FIGS. 12-16 show an embodiment of an oral care kit 90. FIG. 12 shows anoral care kit 90 comprising a plurality of oral care implements 10, andat least one dispenser 96 separate from the oral care implements 10. Theoral care implements 10 may be any of the embodiments shown in FIGS.1-10, for example. Each oral care implement 10 is a disposabletoothbrush comprising a handle 14 having a head 12 at one end of thehandle. In some embodiments, the head has an optional depression 24which is empty, to receive one of the oral care materials discussedabove. The head 12 has at least one cleaning element 26 projectingoutwards from the head, and may be configured as shown in FIG. 4.Descriptions of the handle 14, cleaning element 26, elastomer portion18, cleaning block 22, cushioned socket 28 and opening 30 are providedabove and, for brevity, are not repeated. In some embodiments, thesecond end of each handle 14 has an accessory 16 such as a toothpick.Other embodiments have different accessories 42 at the end of the handle14 opposite the head 12, as described above with reference to FIGS. 9and 10.

Referring again to FIGS. 12-16, in some embodiments, the plurality oforal care implements 10 are all identical to each other. In otherembodiments, a variety of oral care implements are included. The varietyof oral care implements may include two or more of the embodiments shownin FIGS. 1-10, for example. Further, each variation of the oral careimplement 10 may optionally have a respective color for easyidentification.

In some embodiments, the depression 24 extends only partially throughthe head, so as to be capable of holding an oral care material 99, suchas a liquid, emulsion, paste, gel, powder or other oral care material.In some embodiments, the depression 24 is capable of holding either aliquid, emulsion, paste, gel, powder or other oral care material.

Although FIG. 4 shows an opening 30 at the center of the depression 24,other embodiments omit the opening 30. If the opening 30 is present, theopening is capable of holding additional oral care material during use.

In other embodiments, the head does not have a depression 24. If thecleaning elements 26 are bristles, then a continuous field of bristlesor foam is provided across the head 12. Alternatively, the cleaningelement without a depression may be a continuous field of plastic hooksor loops 34, as described above with reference to FIG. 5, or a singlemass of foam, sponge or cotton 36, as described above with reference toFIG. 6. The oral care material (paste, powder, gel, liquid or the like)is placed on the cleaning element 26. In some embodiments, the cleaningelement 26 is adapted to hold or absorb oral care material that ismanually dispensed by a user. The oral care material that is absorbedupon being dispensed then leaches out onto the user's teeth and gumsduring brushing.

In some embodiments, a single blister pack 92 holds the entire pluralityof oral care implements 10. The single blister pack 92 may be foldable,as shown in FIG. 16, for compact storage within the kit 90. In otherembodiments, the plurality of oral care implements 10 are containedwithin two smaller blister packs, which can be arranged back-to-backwith the cleaning elements thereof facing away from each other forcompact storage within the kit 90 (i.e., with the flat sides of theblister packs facing each other). In alternative embodiments, the kit 90includes more than two blister packs (e.g., four blister packs, eachcontaining two or three oral care implements 10.).

The blister pack 92 comprises a polymer web 92 w (FIG. 16) having aplurality of cavities 92 c, each cavity having a longitudinal axis A(FIG. 15), for containing the oral care implements 10 oriented with thehandles 14 of each oral care implements aligned with the longitudinalaxis of its respective cavity. In some embodiments, the cavities 92 c ofthe blister pack 92 are shaped to conform to the shape of the oral careimplements 10. In other embodiments, the cavities 92 c are substantiallyrectangular or block shaped, to accommodate a variety of oral careimplement shapes.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 16, the blister pack 92 is asingle blister pack foldable about an axis B aligned with thelongitudinal axes A of the cavities 92 c. Thus, a plurality of oral careinstruments 10 in a single blister pack can be arranged back-to-backwith the cleaning elements 26 thereof facing away from each other forcompact storage within the kit 90.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 12, 13, 15 and 16, the handle 14of each oral care implement 10 has a second end opposite the head 12(i.e., at the location of the accessory 16 in FIGS. 12-16); and theplurality of oral care implements 10 alternate between a firstorientation in which the head 12 points in a first direction (e.g.,upwards) and the second end points in a second direction opposite thefirst direction, and a second orientation in which the head points inthe second direction (e.g., downwards) and the second end points in thefirst direction. For an oral care implement design in which the head 12is wider than the second end 16, alternating the orientations ofsuccessive oral care implements allows the distance between adjacentoral care implements (and the overall footprint of the blister pack 92)to be reduced.

In some embodiments, the blister pack 92 has a respective separableconnector (e.g., perforation 92 p) between each pair of adjacent oralcare implements 10. The separable connectors 92 p facilitate folding ofthe blister pack, or separation of one or more of the oral careimplements 10 from the blister pack 92.

In some embodiments, the blister pack 92 is formed by a form-fill-sealprocess. The blister pack 92 is formed from rolls of transparent flatsheet or film using a thermoforming process. In some embodiments, thesheet or film comprises polyvinyl chloride. In other embodiments, thesheet or film comprises polyvinylidene chloride, Polychlorotrifluoroethylene, or Cyclic Olefin Copolymer. The oral care implements arepositioned on the sheet or film, and the blister pack 92 is closed(sealed) on a blisterline. The blister pack 92 includes a formed baseweb 92 w defining the cavities 92 c inside which the oral careimplements 10 fit. The blister pack 92 further includes a backing cardor lidding foil 92 f (FIG. 16) for containing the oral care implementswithin the pack 92. A thermoplastic adhesive bonds the web 92 w to thebacking card or lidding foil 92 f.

The kit 90 includes at least one dispenser 96. Any number of dispensers96 may be provided. For example, as shown in FIG. 12, a singlerelatively large dispenser 96 may be provided with sufficient oral carematerial for single or multiple uses of every oral care implement 10.Alternatively, as discussed below with reference to FIGS. 17-20B, arespective individual dispenser may be provided for each respective oralcare implement. Although the dispenser 96 of FIGS. 12-14 is a tube,other embodiments include different dispenser types, such as a bottle,pump, can, box, sachet or other vessel. The type of dispenser 96 isselected based on the type of oral care material, in addition to suchfactors as convenience and cost. In some embodiments, the dispenser 96has a narrow nozzle 96 n, as shown in FIG. 14, to deliver a small streamor quantity of the oral care material 99 into the depression 24.

In an alternative embodiment shown in FIG. 14A, the opening 30 extendscompletely through to the back surface of head 12. The shape of theopening 30 at the rear of head 12 is coordinated to mate with the nozzle96 n of a separate dispenser 96 (e.g., a pump, vial, tube or the like)supplying the oral care material, so that the nozzle can be joined tothe head for supplying oral care material from the rear of the headwithout leakage. For example, the opening 30 may be threaded with matingholes on the nozzle, or the opening and nozzle may have matching tapers.If the head 12 is provided without a depression 24, the oral carematerial can travel through the cleaning element(s) 26 (e.g., bristles),instead of lying on top of the bristles.

In the configuration shown in FIG. 14A, the oral care material isdispensed from a nozzle behind the head 12 into the spaces between thebristles 26. In another embodiment (not shown), the bristles are hollow,and the head includes channels to distribute the oral care material frombehind the head through the channels and into the hollows with thebristles. In this embodiment, the bristles comprise a permeable materialthat transmits the oral care material to be desorbed onto the surfacesof the teeth during brushing.

In another variation (not shown), the cleaning element is a single massof sponge, cotton or foam having an outer shape as shown in FIG. 6, anda hollow interior for receiving the oral care material through anopening in the back of the head. The oral care material is dispensedinto the hollow through the opening in the back of the head. Then,during brushing, the oral care material is release through the materialof the cleaning element.

In another embodiment, shown in FIG. 14B, each oral care implement has arecess or depression 28 for receiving and holding the oral care material99, and a width of the dispensing nozzle 96 n′ is less than or equal toa width of the recess. The nozzle 96 n′ optionally has at least one sideopening 96 o coupled to receive and dispense the oral care material 99,while the tip of the nozzle 96 n′ contacts the bottom of the recess ordepression 28. Thus, the tip of nozzle 96 n′ can be seated firmlyagainst the bottom of the depression without blocking or interferingwith the dispensing of the oral care material 99.

In some embodiments, the height 96 h of the opening 96 o (the distancefrom the tip of the nozzle to the shoulder of opening 96 o) isapproximately equal to the depth of the depression 28, to facilitatefilling of the depression while the tip of the nozzle 96 n′ is seatedagainst the bottom of the depression 28. This also provides a visual aidto assist the user in determining when the depression 28 has beencompletely filled.

In other embodiments, the height 96 h and shape of the opening 96 o canbe selected so that the opening 96 o engages a feature of the head 12(such as the cleaning element 26) and acts as a depth gauge forpositioning the tip of the nozzle 96 n′ at a pre-determined distancefrom the bottom of the depression 28. This ensures that the tip of thenozzle 96 n′ is clear for dispensing the oral care material.

The dispenser 96 contains an amount of the oral care material 99. Insome embodiments, the oral care material 99 is a breath fresheningsolution, a toothpaste or polish, mouthwash, a fluoride rinse, or thelike. In other embodiments, the oral care material may be a markermaterial for providing an indication of a gum disease or cancer, or amarker for tooth areas in need of additional cleaning. In someembodiments, the oral care material includes timed release materials,for releasing an active ingredient or a foaming agent. Timed releaseactive ingredients may be used, for example, in a waterless setting,where the user keeps the oral care material in the user's mouth afterbrushing has ceased.

In some embodiments, where the oral care material has a relatively lowviscosity, a cleaning element such as the absorbent mass of sponge, foamor cotton 36 of FIG. 6 advantageously can act as an absorbentreceptacle, and prevent the oral care material from spilling if the useris not holding the toothbrush 10 with the head 12 in a perfectlyhorizontal orientation. Thus, the user can have one or two free hands toreplace a cap on the oral care material dispenser 96, for example. Oncethe cleaning element 36 is placed in the user's mouth, the brushingmotion releases the oral care material from the absorbent receptacle ofthe cleaning element 36.

In some embodiments, as shown in 14C, an absorbent receptacle 27 isprovided as an insert in a toothbrush 10 having cleaning elements 26,such as bristles. The absorbent receptacle 27 may be a mass of any ofthe materials discussed above with reference to the cleaning element 36of FIG. 6, including cotton, sponge, or a foam, such as a melamine foam,a foam-like material comprising a formaldehyde-melamine-sodium bisulfitecopolymer. This provides the combined benefit of bristles 26, which canextend into crevices, and a soft, absorbent insert 27 that dispensesoral care material and polishes the tooth surface with its mild abrasiveproperties. As in the case of the single mass cleaning element 36, theabsorbent insert 27 can prevent the oral care material from spilling ifthe user is not holding the toothbrush 10 with the head 12 in aperfectly horizontal orientation, and free up one or both of the user'shands. Once the cleaning element 27 is placed in the user's mouth, thebrushing motion releases the oral care material from the absorbentreceptacle of the cleaning element 36.

In some embodiments, the plurality of oral care implements 10 includes anumber of oral care implements, and the amount of oral care material inthe dispenser contains a number of dosages of the oral care materialthat is greater than or equal to the number of oral care implements. Forexample, in FIGS. 12-15, the kit 90 has ten oral care implements 10, andthe tube of oral care material 96 has at least ten dosages of the oralcare material. This amount is sufficient to at least dispense a dosageof the oral care material 99 into the respective depression 24 of eachoral care implement 10 (or onto the cleaning element 26, if there is nodepression) once, for usage as a single-use toothbrush. Optionally, thetube 96 may include a larger amount of oral care material (e.g., 20 or30 dosages).

In some embodiments (not shown), the kit includes two or more dispensers96, optionally each having a different formulation, flavor or color oforal care material 99. This allows the user to individually select theformulation, flavor and/or color of the oral care material 99 used witheach oral care implement 10.

FIGS. 17, 18A and 18B show an alternative dispenser and packageconfiguration 70. In some embodiments, the oral care material dispenser60 is provided in the form of one or more sachets. The sachet 60 maycontain a single dose of oral care material 69, or a larger amount(e.g., up to three doses). The sachets 60 are formed of a thin, flexiblepolymer film, and each sachet has a slit, notch or perforation 68,providing a means for manually tearing the sachet. Each sachet has anozzle portion 67 located and shaped to form a dispensing nozzle whenthe slit, notch or perforation is torn.

The sachet may be generally ring shaped, with a reservoir 64, forholding the oral care material 69. The reservoir 64 surrounds a centeropening 63, and includes an end 66 having a reduced width. The sachet 60may be configured with a notch 65 a or slit near the reduced width end66 of the reservoir 64. The notch or slit 65 a forms a frangible sealextending in a generally radial direction, configured to be torn off toform a nozzle portion 67 for dispensing the oral care material 69 fromthe sachet 60. Optionally, perforations 68 may be provided on either orboth sides of the nozzle portion 67 to assist in tearing open thedispenser 60.

In some embodiments, the ring shaped reservoir 69 subtends an angle of270-330 degrees around the central opening 63 of the sachet. In someembodiments, the ring shaped reservoir 69 subtends an angle of 300-330degrees around the central opening 63.

The sachet 60 may be formed using materials and methods described in anyof U.S. Pat. No. 4,705,680; 4,728,508; 4,770,324; 5,041,279; or5,096,698, or International Application Publication No. WO 95/01921,each of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. Othersachet fabrication methods may be used.

In some embodiments, the toothbrush 10 is used as a tool for opening thesachet 60, as shown in FIG. 18B. The center opening 63 of sachet 60 isplaced around the head 12 of the toothbrush 10 during packaging, so thatthe head 12 of toothbrush 10 is within the sachet 60. When a user isready to use the toothbrush 10, he/she pulls the brush 10 out of thesachet 60. In some embodiments, the user uses one hand to grasp thesachet 60 by the end 61 opposite the frangible seal 37, and uses theother hand to grasp toothbrush head 12. The toothbrush 12 is pulled inthe direction of the notch or slit 65 a (away from end 61), and is usedto tear the frangible seal 67 of the sachet 60, so that when thetoothbrush 10 is removed from the sachet, the dispensing orifice 67 ofthe sachet is opened for dispensing the oral care material 69. FIG. 18Ashows a package 70 in which the sachet 60 is positioned on the head 12of the toothbrush 10 during packaging, to facilitate the step of openingthe sachet using the toothbrush 10 as a tool, upon removal of thetoothbrush and sachet from the package 70.

In other embodiments, the opening of the sachet 60 (by severing thefrangible seal 67) is performed in a separate step from the step ofpulling the sachet off of the toothbrush 10. The toothbrush 10 is movedalong its longitudinal axis, without tearing the frangible seal 67. Thenthe seal 67 is broken by tearing open the sachet 60 along the notch 65 aand/or perforations 68. Optionally, a second notch 65 b may be providedalong the outer edge of the sachet 60 to facilitate manual tearing ofthe frangible seal without using the toothbrush 10 or any other tool toperform the tearing.

In some embodiments, the sachet 60 is a separate package, which isindividually placed within a blister pack or bag that houses thetoothbrush 10. For example, a blister pack may have two rows and tencolumns of chambers. The chambers in one row contain toothbrushes 10.The chambers in the other row contain sachets 60. Each column has arespective toothbrush and a respective sachet 60. The two rows have aseparable connector therebetween. The separable connector is one of thegroup consisting of a perforated region of the package, a region of thepackage having a cut or notch, a film or tape of a material that issusceptible to tearing or rupturing, or at least one adhesive jointconnecting separately formed sections of the package. Another separableconnector is provided between each successive pair of adjacent columns.Thus, a user can easily manually separate one column from the blisterpack to form an individual kit (a “sub-kit”) having one toothbrush 10and one dispenser 60. Similarly, a user about to embark on a trip cantear off a portion including N columns (N toothbrushes and N sachets,where N is an integer) as desired.

In other embodiments, a plurality of sachets 60 are formed along acontinuous sheet of plastic, with separable connectors (e.g.,perforations, slits or the like) between each adjacent sachet 60. Thestrip of sachets 60 can be separate from (i.e., unconnected to) theblister package of toothbrushes 10.

FIG. 19A shows another embodiment, in which the plurality of oral careimplements 10 are packaged within a first package, such as one or moreblister packs 80, and the sachets 81 are formed as part of the sameblister pack 80. Blister pack 80 has two rows and ten columns ofchambers, but any number of columns may be used. The chambers 83 in onerow contain toothbrushes 10. The chambers 82 in the other row containsachets 81. Each column has a respective toothbrush 10 and a respectivesachet 81. The two rows have a separable connector (e.g., perforations)86 therebetween. Another separable connector (e.g., perforation) 85 isprovided between each successive pair of adjacent columns. Thus, a usercan easily manually separate N column(s) from the blister pack 80 toform an individual kit (a “sub-kit”) having N toothbrush(es) 10 and Ndispenser(s) 81, where N is an integer from one to C−1, where C is thetotal number of columns in blister package 80.

FIG. 19B is an enlarged detail of a chamber 82 containing one sachet 86.In this example, the sachets 81 are formed from the same polymer filmsheet used to form the blister package 80, and the same separableconnectors 86 that separate the toothbrush chamber 83 from the sachetchamber 82 also provide a means for tearing open the nozzle 84 of thesachets 81. Thus, a single perforation line 86 can be formed between therow of sachet chambers 82 and the row of toothbrush chambers 83. (Theperforations are interrupted at each nozzle section 87 of each sachet81, to avoid leakage of the oral care material). In a single motion, theuser can separate one of the sachet chambers 82 from its associatedtoothbrush chamber 83, and also open the nozzle 84 of the sachet 81 ofthat chamber 82. The act of tearing the perforation 86 forms the opendispensing nozzle of the sachet 81.

The reservoir for containing the oral care material in each sachet 81 isapproximately pentagonal, with a narrow portion for forming the nozzle84. However, the reservoir can be any convenient shape, such as, but notlimited to rectangle, square, trapezoid, circle, ellipse, oval, or thelike.

One of ordinary skill understands that the designation of horizontalrows and vertical columns herein is optional, and the same package maybe rotated 90 degrees, in which case the rows are vertical and thecolumns are horizontal.

FIGS. 20A and 20B show a variation of the package of FIGS. 19A and 19B,in which each sachet 187 is formed separately from the film that formsthe sachet chamber 182 of the blister pack 182. The sachet 187 canoptionally be removed from its chamber 182 without severing theseparable connector 186 which separates the sachet chamber 182 from itsrespective toothbrush chamber 83. Similarly, once removed, the sachet187 can be returned to its chamber 182, either for disposal after asingle use, or for a second usage, if the reservoir 181 of sachet 187contains more than one dosage of oral care material. The sachet chamber182 can optionally be separated from its respective toothbrush chamber83 by tearing the blister pack material along the perforated line 186.Each sachet 187 has a distinct separable connector 185 (e.g., aperforation, slit or notch) for tearing the film of the sachet 187 toopen the nozzle orifice of the sachet, for dispensing the oral carematerial.

In other respects, the layout and construction of kit 180 is similar tothat of kit 80 (FIGS. 19A and 19B), and a description thereof is notrepeated.

Referring again to FIGS. 12, 13, 15 and 16, the oral care kit 90 mayoptionally include an outer package, such as a clamshell container 91.An outer package may be included for protection of sachets and or otheraccessories, and to prevent their accidental separation from theremainder of the kit 90. An outer package 91 may also be used forstoring a separate oral care material dispenser, such as a tube 96,pump, can or the like. An outer package may also provide contouredcompartments for holding either the toothbrush 10 or dispenser 96 duringa dispensing or brushing operation.

In some embodiments, the outer package 91 includes either two pre-formedplastic sheets or one sheet folded over onto itself and fused at theedges. The sheet(s) comprise a transparent polymer that is durable andmore rigid than the blister pack web 92 w, either by choice of materialor by the thickness of the polymer material.

The outer package 91 includes at least one transparent shell 91 having afirst opening 94 shaped to contain the plurality of oral care implements10, and a second opening 98 shaped to contain the dispenser 96. Thesecond opening 98 is separate from the first opening 94.

In some embodiments, a clamshell package 91 has two symmetrical halves91 a, 91 b (shown in FIG. 13), each half shaped to receive a blisterpack 92 or a portion of a blister pack, containing a subset of theplurality of oral care implements 10. Each half 91 a, 91 b is shaped toreceive a respective portion of the dispenser 96.

In some embodiments, each half 91 a, 91 b is shaped to receive at leasta portion of the at least one blister pack 92, containing a subset ofthe plurality of oral care implements 10. In some embodiments, theclamshell package 91 has two halves 91 a, 91 b, each half shaped toreceive a respective portion of the web 92 w of the blister pack 92, asshown in FIG. 13. Each half 91 a, 91 b is shaped to receive a respectiveportion of the dispenser 96. In some embodiments having a single blisterpack 92 folded about an axis B (shown in FIG. 16), each half of thefolded blister pack is received by a respective half of the clamshell91, as shown in FIG. 13.

In some embodiments, the outer package 91 has a slot 93 for hanging thekit 90 from a store rack or hook. Optionally, a larger slot (not shown)may be provided for use as a handle.

In other embodiments, the two portions of the clamshell 91 are notmirror images of each other, but include a first side with deeperrecesses, and a second side with shallower (or no) recesses. Othervariations of the clamshell 91 can accommodate variations in the shapeand configuration of the blisterpack(s) 92 and the dispenser(s) 96.

An example of a method of fabricating the kit 90 includes providing atleast one blister pack containing a plurality of oral care implements,and folding the at least one blister pack 92 about its axis B, so thattwo portions of the web 92 w face in opposite directions. The at leastone blister pack 92 is inserted into a clamshell package 91; and atleast one dispenser (e.g, a tube 96 having a nozzle 96 n) is insertedinto the clamshell. The dispenser 96 is separate from the blister pack92 and contains an amount of the oral care material 99. The clamshellpackage 91 has a first opening 94 shaped to receive the at least oneblister pack 92 and a second opening 98 shaped to receive the dispenser96. The clamshell package 91 is then sealed with the at least oneblister pack 92 and the dispenser 96 therein.

In some embodiments, the blister pack has a first edge and a secondedge, and the providing step includes arranging the plurality of oralcare implements in respective cavities, so that successive oral careimplements alternate between: a first orientation in which the head ofthe oral care implement is adjacent the first edge and the second endthereof is adjacent the second edge, and a second orientation in whichthe second end of the oral care implement is adjacent the first edge andthe head thereof is adjacent the second edge. In some embodiments, arespective perforation 92 p is made in the blister pack 92 between eachpair of adjacent oral care implements 10.

In some embodiments, a method of using the oral care kit 90 comprisesopening a clamshell package 91 and removing a blister pack 92 from theclamshell package. The blister pack 92 includes a plurality of cavities92 c containing respective oral care implements 10. Each oral careimplement 10 comprises a handle 14 having a head 12 at a first end ofthe handle, the head having at least one cleaning element 26 projectingoutwards from the head, the head having at least one concave depression24 shaped to hold an oral care material.

The user removes one of the oral care implements 10 from the blisterpack 92. The user removes a dispenser 96 from the clamshell package 91.The dispenser 96 is separate from the oral care implements 10. The userdispenses a dose of the oral care material 99 from the dispenser 96 intothe depression 24 of the removed oral care implement 10. The user usesthe removed oral care implement with the oral care material 99 on it toperform a dental care procedure, such as brushing the user's teeth.

In some embodiments, the user disposes of the removed oral careimplement 10 after a single usage. In some embodiments, the user repeats(for each oral care implement 10) the steps of removing an oral careimplement from the package 92, dispensing the oral care material 99 ontothe removed oral care implement, performing the dental care operationand disposing of the removed oral care implement after use.

In some embodiments (not shown), the kit 90 includes at least twovariations of the oral care implement and at least two dispenserscontaining respectively different oral care materials. The usercoordinates the selection of one of the oral care implements with theselection of oral care material. In some embodiments, the handles 14 anddispensers 96 are optionally color coded to indicated suggested pairingsof differentiated oral care implements 10 with respective differentiatedoral care materials 99. For example, in some embodiments, the oral careimplements have a respectively different handle color for each cleaningelement type or for accessory type, and the dispenser containing thecorresponding recommended oral care material for each oral careimplement type has the same color.

Other embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art fromconsideration of the specification disclosed herein. It is intended thatthe specification and examples be considered as exemplary only, with thetrue scope and spirit of the invention being indicated by the followingclaims and their range of equivalents.

As used throughout, ranges are used as shorthand for describing each andevery value that is within the range. Any value within the range can beselected as the terminus of the range. In addition, all references citedherein are hereby incorporated by referenced in their entireties. In theevent of a conflict in a definition in the present disclosure and thatof a cited reference, the present disclosure controls.

1. An oral care kit comprising: at least one oral care implementcomprising a handle having a head at one end of the handle, the headhaving at least one cleaning element projecting outwards from the head;at least one dispenser separate from the oral care implement, thedispenser containing an amount of an oral care material; a packageincluding the at least one oral care implement and the at least onedispenser, the package having at least two separate sections including afirst section and a second section joined to each other, the packagehaving at least one separable connector separating the first sectionfrom the second section, wherein the oral care implement is in the firstsection and the dispenser is in the second section.
 2. The oral care kitof claim 1 further comprising: a plurality of oral care implements andto respective dispenser for each of the oral care implements; and aplurality of separate sections; wherein each of the oral care implementsand each of the dispensers is contained within a respective separatesection, and each separate section is separated from each other separatesection adjacent thereto by at least one separable connector, so thateach separate section is manually separable from a remainder of thepackage.
 3. The oral care kit of claim 1, wherein the separableconnector is one of the group consisting of a perforated region of thepackage, a region of the package having a cut or notch, a film or tapeof a material that is susceptible to tearing or rupturing, or at leastone adhesive joint connecting separately formed sections of the package.4. The oral care kit of claim 1, wherein the package is a blister pack,and each separable connector is a perforated region of the package. 5.The oral care kit of claim 1, wherein: the package is a blister packhaving a row of oral care implements and a row of dispensers, and eachoral care implement has a respective dispenser adjacent thereto, whereineach column of the blister pack includes a respective one of the oralcare implements and a respective one of the dispensers, and each pair ofadjacent columns has a separable connector therebetween.
 6. The oralcare kit of claim 1, wherein the dispenser is a sachet containing anoral care liquid, gel, paste or powder.
 7. The oral care kit of claim 6,wherein the sachet has: a slit, notch or perforation for manuallytearing the sachet; and a nozzle portion located and shaped to form adispensing nozzle when the slit, notch or perforation is torn.
 8. Theoral care kit of claim 7, wherein: one of the sections forms the sachet,and the separable connector separating the separate sections is theslit, notch or perforation for manually tearing the sachet open.
 9. Theoral care kit of claim 1, wherein the oral care implement has a recessfor receiving and holding the oral care material, and a width of thedispensing nozzle is less than or equal to a width of the recess. 10.The oral care kit of claim 1 further comprising: a plurality of oralcare implements, and a number of dosages of the oral care material inthe dispenser is at least as large as the number of oral careimplements; and a plurality of separate sections, wherein the dispenserand each of the oral care implements are contained within respectiveseparate sections, and each separate section is separated from eachother separate section adjacent thereto by at least one separableconnector, so that each separate section is manually separable from aremainder of the package.
 11. The oral care kit of claim 1, wherein: theoral care implement has an opening extending through the head, and thedispenser includes a nozzle sized and shaped to fit the opening fordispensing the oral care material from behind the head.
 12. The oralcare kit of claim 1, wherein the dispenser includes a nozzle having atleast one side opening coupled to receive and dispense the oral carematerial.
 13. The oral care kit of claim 1, wherein the cleaning,element of the oral care implement comprises an abrasive foam.
 14. Theoral care kit of claim 1, wherein the cleaning element of the oral careimplement is a piece of formaldehyde-melamine-sodium bisulfitecopolymer.
 15. An oral care kit comprising: a plurality of oral careimplements, each comprising a handle having a head at one end of thehandle, the head having at least one cleaning element projectingoutwards from the head, and a recess shaped to hold an oral carematerial; at least one dispenser separate from the oral care implements,the dispenser containing an amount of the oral care material, thedispenser having an orifice for dispensing the oral care material, theorifice having a width that is less than or equal to a width of therecess; and a package containing the plurality of oral care implementsand the at least one dispenser.
 16. The oral care kit of claim 15,wherein: a number of dosages within the amount of the oral care materialin the dispenser is at least as large as the number of oral careimplements.
 17. The oral care kit of claim 15, wherein the nozzle has atleast one side opening coupled to receive and dispense the oral carematerial.
 18. The oral care kit of claim 15, wherein: the package has atleast three sections joined to each other, each section having aseparate sealed chamber, the dispenser and the plurality of oral careimplements are each contained within a respective one of the separatesealed chambers, and the package has a plurality of separable connectorsbetween each of the separate sealed chambers and each other one of theseparate sealed chambers adjacent thereto.
 19. The oral care kit ofclaim 15, wherein the cleaning element of at least one of the pluralityof oral care implements comprises a formaldehyde-melamine-sodiumbisulfite copolymer.
 20. The oral care kit of claim 15, wherein thecleaning element of the oral care implement is a single piece of anabrasive foam.
 21. The oral care of claim 20, wherein the abrasive foamis a formaldehyde-melamine-sodium bisulfite copolymer.